A Jedi's Dream
by Jade Caminus
Summary: Begins 16 years before Episode 1. Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice is named Analyse (Anie), and this explores their short relationship.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I am not making any money off of this story. This is purely for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of my readers. All characters with the exception of Anie are copyright of George Lucas. 

Anie was lying awake on her sleepcouch, staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep. Of course, that was normal for this time of year. It was summer, and she could never manage to sleep during this season.

_Analyse,_ came a voice in her mind. _Go to sleep._

Yes, Master. She replied. Master Jinn tried to understand, and usually did a good job, but this was something he never would. Anie didn't really understand it either. All she knew was that every year, during the summer; she had to stay awake. Otherwise the dreams would come. She had learned that one night at the Temple several years ago.

*****

She was running . . .running . . . running from some beast she couldn't see. She didn't dare turn around to look. She could hear it crashing after her. It was hungry, and it thought Anie was lunch.

She could see the end of the forest. She ran faster, but the beast got her anyway. It grabbed her in one massive paw and shoved her toward its gaping mouth. Anie screamed. Before the beast got her in its mouth, Anie woke up. Or so she thought. As she sat, staring at the walls, catching her breath, the walls started closing in around her. And to make matters worse, they were positively _crawling_ with piranha beetles.

This wasn't going to be pleasant.

*****

Anie screamed. She screamed again and sat bolt upright, sweat pouring down her face and back.

"Anie? Anie, what's wrong?" Qui-Gon Jinn said, crossing the room to her.

"The dreams. They're back. I don't know what they mean." She replied.

"What was it this time?"

"The beast and the piranha beetles."

"Hmmm . . . . ." Qui-Gon looked thoughtful. "The beast and the piranha beetles. The beetles I understand. You told me about your experience with them. Do you ever see what the beast looks like?"

"Umm . . . I did. Once. When I was six or seven."

"Who or what did it look like?"

"Funny how you put that: Who or what. It looked like—"

Just then there was an ear-piercing scream that echoed through the Temple.

"Come on." Qui-Gon said, heading for the door. "Any idea where that came from?"

"It came from the direction of . . . Sithspawn, NO!"

"What?"

"It came from the direction of the new initiate's room. Bruck you little piece of . . ."

"Later. Come on."

*****

Anie and Qui-Gon ran towards the new student's room. When they got there, there was already a bunch of students consoling her.

_Interesting, no Masters._ Anie thought. Turning to Qui-Gon, she said: "Wait a sec. I'll be right back." With that, Anie walked right over to a Mon Calamari girl named Bant.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Some of the boys pulled a practical joke." Bant replied a touch of scorn in her voice.

"Lemme guess. Bruck, right?"

"That's right. They headed out toward the garden." Bant gave her that last piece of information without Anie even having to ask.

"Thanks," Anie said, remembering her manners.

As she walked back to Qui-Gon, Anie fumed at the cruelty of Bruck. _How dare he try to get back at me like this? How dare he . . ._

"Well?" Qui-Gon asked upon Anie's return.

"Care for an evening stroll in the garden?"

*****

They found Bruck and his cronies fairly easily. Bruck tried to run, but all Qui-Gon had to do was look at him, and he stopped in his tracks. 

"Would you like to do the honors, _Padawan_?"

"Why thank you, _Master_," Anie gave Qui-Gon a bow, then turned to Bruck. "How _dare_ you play a practical joke on the new girl just because you know I made friends with her? Let me guess, because Master Jinn chose me and you wanted to get back at me. You little piece of Sithspit!"

Qui-Gon let the language slide this one time and only because he was angry with Bruck, too.

Anie was furious. "You know what I should do? I should let Master Jinn and the other Masters discipline you. And I will, but not before I tell you how much I hate you." She paused for breath. "This isn't Dark Side hate. This is righteous hate. And I have good reason for it to. Ever since I came to the Temple, you've hated me. You pulled pranks, got me in trouble, and countless other things. I put up with it all these years because I thought you were jealous. Now I see what that jealousy has turned into." Analyse was choking on tears. "I can't believe you would go this far, Bruck. Over becoming a Padawan. How could you? This is the most un-Jedi-like thing I have ever seen!" Anie could no longer stop the tears. She sank to her knees on the path, and buried her face in her hands.

"Anie?" Qui-Gon asked. Getting no response other than quiet sobbing, he turned to Bruck once again. "Spend tonight thinking about what you did. Tomorrow you will go before the Council of Masters. Go now."

"Yes, sir," they mumbled, and left.

"Anie? Come on. Let's go back inside."

Anie rose, wiped her eyes, and headed in after her Master.

"Master?" Anie started, a bit tentatively.

"Yes?"

"I want to thank you for what you did. Taking over when I couldn't go on."

"Your welcome, Padawan." Qui-Gon said with a fondness that puzzled Anie.

"Analyse? I think I know whom you were going to say tonight before the scream. You were going to say Bruck, weren't you." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I was, Master. It was Bruck's face I saw on the monster from my dream."

****

To be Continued . . .


	2. Chapter Two

A Jedi's Dream: Chapter Two

. . . "Yes, I was, Master. It was Bruck's face I saw on the monster from my dream."

Bruck stood before the Council; prepared to answer any questions the Masters threw at him. Bruck had been left until last, and he knew exactly why. The Masters had questioned the other boys first; to make sure that Bruck could not come up with a tissue of lies to save his skin.

_It figures,_ Bruck thought, _They know the other boys are weaker than I. The Masters know just how to make them crack._ He didn't even notice the contempt that had filled his mental voice.

"So sure are you, Initiate Bruck?" Yoda's voice cut through his thoughts. Bruck kicked himself for leaving his personal thoughts so exposed to the Masters, especially Yoda.

"Of course not, Master Yoda." He replied smoothly. The questioning had begun.

*****

Anie was quickly packing her few belongings in a bag. Qui-Gon wished to be gone by the time the questioning was over. She agreed completely. She didn't really want to be around when Bruck came out of his session with the Masters. He was likely to be I a very disagreeable mood.

"Analyse?"

"Master?"

"There's someone here who would like to apologize."

Anie sighed. She hoped it wasn't Bruck. She didn't really feel like accepting his apology, should he offer it.

It turned out that it WAS Bruck who had come to apologize. Anie stifled another sigh.

_Wonderful. He's the last person in the galaxy I want to talk to right now._ she thought. Aloud she said: "Hello, Bruck. You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah. Umm . . . " he looked meaningfully toward the door. Qui-Gon shut it quietly.

"Yes?" Anie prompted.

"Look, the Masters told me to apologize, but I want you to know that I'm not doing this just because they told me to. I'm really sorry this time."

Analyse was surprised by the sincerity in his voice. She was careful not to let that surprise show through. 

"You really are sorry this time, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah. Umm, there's something else I want to tell you."

"S-something e-else?" Anie stammered. She'd not expected that. She'd thought that Bruck would come in, say his not-so-carefully-prepared speech and leave. Something more was completely unexpected and out of character for Bruck.

"Yeah. Last night, when you lost it, you really scared me."

"Me? Scare you?" Anie asked, incredulous. "Sorry if I sound so surprised, but I didn't think it was possible for ANYONE to scare you, let alone me."

"I figured that you would be. Surprised, I mean." Taking a deep breath, Bruck continued. "Lemme explain. You scared me last night because . . . because . . ."

"Because what?"

"Because I . . . I . . . I like you!" he said in a rush and ran.

*****

Qui-Gon could read waves of astonishment emanating from his apprentice. A moment later, Bruck pushed past him. Before going into the room, Qui-Gon gave Anie a few minutes to herself.

*****

Anie was stunned. Bruck liked her! She suddenly felt rather dizzy. Head reeling, Anie felt for one of the sleepcouches. Finding one, she sank down onto it.

_Bruck likes me! Bruck likes me!_ She thought, over and over again. As she sat in her surprise-induced stupor, the door opened quietly to reveal Qui-Gon.

"Analyse?" Qui-Gon asked, softly. The sound of her name made Anie jump.

"Analyse?" Qui-Gon repeated. "Are you okay/'

"Yes, Master, I'm fine," Anie finally responded.

"Do you want to talk?"

"No, not right now. Thank you for offering though," Anie said, finally remembering her manners.

"Just to let you know, the offer still stands."

"Alright. Thank you."

With that, Qui-Gon closed the door and headed off to find Yoda.

*****

Bruck was running faster than he ever had in his life. He was out in the garden now, unconsciously heading toward his secret place. All the students had one; the garden was large enough for that. Bruck's was behind the waterfall. Suddenly he was there, slipping behind the water, gasping for breath.

_I can't run any farther, yet I haven't run far enough,_ he thought, panting. He could still feel Anie's stunned mind grasping for some sense of clarity. Bruck straightened up, a stitch forming in his side from running and bending over for so long.

_Bruck?_ Came a feminine voice in his head. _Bruck? Can you hear me?_

He sighed. _Yes, Anie, I can hear you._ He replied.

_Okay. Umm . . . How long have you liked me?_ Well, he had to admit she wasn't one to pussyfoot around.

_I've liked you for a long time._

_How long?_

_Umm . . . A couple of years._ He mentally stammered. The couple of years thing was a complete lie. He had liked her ever since she had come to the temple, thirteen years ago. Bruck got no reply, other than the sense that Anie was no closer to clarity of mind than she had been a few moments ago. 

_Thank you for telling me._ He heard in his mind.

_Your welcome,_ was all Bruck could think of to say in reply.

*****

**To Be Continued . . . **


	3. Chapter Three

"A Jedi's Dream: Part Three"

And now for the continuation:

__

Your welcome, was all Bruck could think of to say in reply.

Qui-Gon had been looking for Yoda for about 15 standard minutes. But Yoda was not to be found. So Qui-Gon decided to wander about the Temple until his newly acquired apprentice was ready to go.

_Interesting, how Anie reacted to whatever Bruck told her._ Qui-Gon mused. He could've reached into Anie's mind and found out exactly what had surprised her so, but he didn't. Qui-Gon respected his student too much to do that.

*****

Analyse shook her head, as if to clear it. Standing up, she returned to packing her bag.

Finishing, she sent Qui-Gon a mental message saying that she had one more thing she needed to do, and headed out to the garden.

When she got there, Anie stood for a second and stretched out with the Force. Once she got a fix on Bruck's position, Anie took a deep breath and headed off in the same general direction.

She soon found where Bruck was hiding. Slipping behind the water, Anie promptly stumbled over Bruck.

"Hi," she said upon regaining her balance.

"Hi," he replied. "I didn't think you would find me here."

"Well, I hate to admit it, but it wasn't particularly hard." Anie couldn't bring herself to look at Bruck's face, for fear of what she'd see.

"I suppose it wouldn't be, considering-" Bruck caught himself.

"Considering what?" Anie asked, her interest awakened.

"Considering . . . umm . . ." he struggled to make up a feasible excuse.

"WHAT?!?!?!" Anie demanded.

Bruck sighed. "Never mind. It's not anything important."

"Whatever you say." Anie conceded. "Look, I just wanted to say that I have to go, and I'll see you when Master Jinn and I come back for some R&R."

"If I'm still here, and if you come back." Bruck half-corrected.

"Yeah. Something like that."

"Look, Anie, you'd better go. I don't want you and Master Jinn to miss your transport."

"Okay. See you." Anie stood up, and slipped out from behind the waterfall.

"Yeah. See you." Bruck whispered at her retreating form.

*****

Anie met Qui-Gon at the entrance to the Star Room.

"Are you ready?" Qui-Gon asked her, noting the bag slung over Anie's shoulder.

"Yes, Master. I'm ready." Anie replied.

With a smile, Qui-Gon turned and headed toward the hangar where their transport was berthed and waiting.

Upon arriving, Anie's initial reaction was this: "What a piece of junk!" (To quote a VERY green Luke Skywalker)

"It'll make .5 past lightspeed," growled the owner/pilot of what appeared to be an ancestor to the _Millennium Falcon_.

"Analyse," came Qui-Gon's quiet and slightly amused voice. "This ship serves our purposes very well. We are only going as far as the Caridian System."

"Caridia?" Anie asked in surprise. "Just out of curiosity, is there any particular reason why?"

"Just that I thought it would be a good place to begin your training, Padawan." Qui-Gon replied frankly.

"Of course, Master." Anie said quietly. She had not meant to question his judgement.

"Okay," the pilot piped up. "We're all ready to go. We're just waiting on you."

"Of course," Qui-Gon said, and he headed up the boarding ramp. Anie followed him, a little uneasy. something about this pilot didn't seem quite right to her.

*****

****

To Be Continued . . . 


	4. Chapter Four

"A Jedi's Dream: Part Four"

And now for the continuation:

__

"Of course," Qui-Gon said, and he headed up the boarding ramp. Anie followed him, a little uneasy. Something about this pilot didn't seem quite right to her.

As the transport jumped into hyperspace, Anie was suddenly hit with a pang of homesickness. The Temple was her home. It always had been.

"Homesick already?" Qui-Gon asked from behind her. Anie jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

"A little," she replied, gazing out at the garish blue-and-white finger painting that was hyperspace.

"Well, to get your mind off your homesickness, I thought that we could do a little bit of lightsaber dueling." Qui-Gon smiled at the sight of Anie's eyes lighting up.

"Really??" she managed to squeak out through her surprise and delight.

"Yes, really." Qui-Gon replied. "I thought that we might use the cargo hold for our dueling session."

"Great!' Anie exclaimed. "Just let me go and get my 'saber." And with that, Anie turned and ran toward her closet of a cabin.

Qui-Gon waited until she returned, and they headed aft toward the cargo bay.

*****

Analyse and Qui-Gon battled blindfolded. Anie had requested that they duel like this so that way, her Master's size and skill wouldn't overwhelm her. Both Master and Padawan had turned their lightsabers power on low, so as not to mortally injure someone.

For a time, it seemed as if Qui-Gon would win, hands-down. But as if sensing that losing this first battle would not be the best thing in the galaxy for her, Anie not only strengthened her defenses, she also started probing Qui-Gon's, looking for a weakness she could exploit.

Presently, she found one. Thrusting suddenly with all her strength, Anie dove at Qui-Gon's legs. As she hit the ground, Qui-Gon brought his lightsaber down to block her blow. He wasn't fast enough. Anie rolled and struck his left thigh with her 'saber. Qui-Gon's leg collapsed, and he hit the ground on one knee while Anie kept rolling. As Anie regained her footing, she expected to hear the steady hum of her Master's lightsaber advance toward her. To her astonishment, she heard him close it down.

"Very good," Qui-Gon said as Anie closed down her lightsaber and pushed up her blindfold.

"Master?" Anie inquired, panting. They had been dueling for about 25 standard minutes.

"I didn't realize that I had left myself so open to attack." Qui-Gon answered. "Thank you for pointing that out to me, however painfully." he continued, rubbing his thigh.

"Oh, sorry," Anie said, a little sheepishly.

"No apology necessary." Qui-Gon stood up and walked over to her. "Shall we call it quits?"

Anie nodded vigorously. Right now, all she wanted to do was take a nice, hot shower and head for her cabin's resident bunk.

"Believe me, Analyse, I know how you feel." Qui-Gon said. Anie looked at him in surprise and dismay. "Know, I didn't 'read your mind', as the saying goes. Your feelings were quite evident on your face. I didn't need the Force to verify my suspicions."

"Oh, good." Anie said, relived She hated to think that she couldn't trust her Master.

*****

After a quick session in the transport's refresher, Anie felt quite a bit better.

Suddenly, the transport jumped _out_ of hyperspace with a jolt that told Anie that the pilot hadn't pulled them out. She turned and ran for the cockpit.

"What the-" Anie said, as she burst in and fell silent before she could finish the thought.

*****

****

To Be Continued . . .


End file.
